Saturday, 27 December 2014

Shock Horror! People Buy Things To Sell At A Profit!

A "sickening" online video for a £47m Deptford development has provoked a furious response for…

Oo-er!

… portraying much-needed new homes as investments rather than places for people to actually live.

Ummm, what?

The scheme is the latest in a string of major housing developments - including Kidbrooke Village and Eltham's Grove Place - being marketed to foreign investors in places like Hong Kong, who often let the properties out or even leave them vacant before flogging them off at a hefty profit.

Oh my god! I didn’t realise that people could do such a thing with property they legally own!

The video was hastily pulled from one website after an angry online response, with Deptford artist Maria Livings writing: "The idea that this project is being sold to investors and that the coolness of artists is being touted as the reason why property prices are about to hurtle still further up is completely sickening.

"None of the interesting, creative people who have contributed to the vibrant culture of the area are able to afford to buy a home and their work spaces are being eliminated wholesale as developers buy up all the land to create yet more unaffordable housing."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Sorry, had to pause for breath!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

And Deptford resident Dan Strange, from the Defend Council Housing group, contrasted the video with council housing shortages and the high level of deprivation in parts of SE8, saying: "I was absolutely shocked by the clear speculation behind the project.

"No one is surprised but of course it's a loss for the people of Lewisham. It's clear the vast majority of people won’t be able to afford these flats."

I’m not sure that fewer of the ‘vibrant culture’ types could really be seen as a loss, per se…

Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said: "It's a problem across the whole of London. We've seen it trickle down from properties along the riverfront right through the city. I think most of us aren't very happy about it."